Jio to begin 4G launch in smaller cities

Wireless newcomer Reliance Jio Infocomm may look to inaugurate its 4G service in smaller cities before expanding to metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai in subsequent stages. The Economic Times quotes a person familiar with Jio’s plans as saying: ‘The company wants to launch its network through a tier-II city like Coimbatore or Indore and come to the metros later.’ The cellco is expected to launch Long Term Evolution (LTE) services later this year, and has so far signed infrastructure sharing deals with six firms to hasten its rollout. Of its own network, Jio has reportedly completed the installation of 11,000 base stations with that number expected to reach 40,000 by the end of the year.